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If you’re new to quinoa you probably have just one question on the tip of your tongue right now-How the heck do you say it?

KEEN-wa.

I said “Kwin-oh-ah” for a while until someone graciously corrected me.

Quinoa is actually a seed, but I use it pretty much any way you could use rice. Quinoa contains all nine amino acids, making it a great vegetarian protein source. It is high in calcium and magnesium, among other things.

Since getting pregnant the first time I’ve struggled with getting enough calcium and magnesium, which is common. Quinoa has been a simple way for me to get more of both nutrients in my diet, and I’ve seen much improvement since I started eating quinoa frequently.

The first time I cooked quinoa I almost didn’t eat it. There’s a little ring around the outside of quinoa which separates and unfurls when cooked. This makes it look like a bowl of tiny eyeballs looking at you. Or maybe I was just thinking about it too hard.

Tip: If your family is resistant to change, like mine is, try mixing it with cooked brown rice. Gradually increase the amount of quinoa until you’re serving straight quinoa. You can also hide it in things, like the quinoa taco salad pictured above. It’s just like switching to brown rice.

Quinoa goes from stove to table in under 20 minutes, so it’s great for those nights when you’re in a hurry and everyone’s banging spoons on the table and crying. That happens at your house, right?

How To Cook Quinoa

-Ingredients-

Quinoa
Water

To cook quinoa, use one part quinoa to two parts water (or broth). I typically use 1.5 C. quinoa and 3 C. water, which makes enough for one meal for my family.

1. Place quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse well with cool water. Quinoa can be a little bitter if you don’t rinse it, although I’ve cooked it without rinsing before and no one complained (although they acted like they were starving to death, so maybe it was the hunger that kept them from noticing). So rinse quinoa, then dump into a medium pot. Add water, cover, then bring to a boil.

Rinsing quinoa

Quinoa and water

2. Once it boils, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer with the lid cracked for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes remove from heat, close lid tightly and let sit for 5 minutes to absorb the rest of the liquid.

3. Fluff and serve!

Cooked quinoa

Does it look like eyeballs? No?

Notes: Like with brown rice, I usually add a few tablespoons of coconut oil for nutrition and to keep any leftovers from clumping.